Triple Berry Crumble

So I thought that a berry crumble would be the perfect way to celebrate this beautiful day. The smell and feel of Spring is FINALLY in the air. I’m sorry I missed everyone yesterday. I was SUPPOSED to write and blog about how delicious my blood mary soup came out. Well that bloody mary soup happened to not exist. It was basically inedible. I totally went overboard with caraway seed and the flavor totally took over the soup. Not only that, but there was so much acid going on in each bite. It was incredibly hard to eat and had to get thrown out. This doesn’t happen to me very often. At least the meal is usually EDIBLE. It was sad. I got discouraged, and was totally bummed the rest of the night. I’m coming back with a bang with this crumble though. It’s a gorgeous day out there and berries just give off that springtime flavor. It was the prefect come back for my epic fail of a bloody mary soup.

This is another recipe based off of a recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks. My cookbook from Wyoming never disappoints. Never. Crumbles and cobblers are super fun and super easy to make. They are the prefect BBQ pleaser and everyone seems to love them. Peach is one of my favorite kinds of cobblers, but since we have about 3 more months without fresh, homegrown Colorado peaches (which are unbelievable by the way — and we can’t wait), berries were the next best thing. I thought I’d change it up a bit and put all of my favorite berries into one crumble. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are what I decided to use, but the choice is really yours. It’s so easy to subtract or add whatever your little heart’s desire. Use the berries that you love! Also, this is one of those recipes that you can totally use frozen berries for. Sometimes the little crates just don’t look so hot, they’re mushy or so not fresh. This is totally ok. I sometimes think it’s even better to use frozen. They are easier to mix with the other ingredients. They don’t break apart and become mush. If you do happen to use fresh, stick them in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before you use them. I promise they will be easier to work with =).

I find that there is really no other way to cook a truly delicious crumble than in a cast-iron skillet. I mean crumble (or cobbler) just screams “cook me in a cast-iron skillet!” No really, it does. There’s just something about that rustic feel that makes it taste all the better. Don’t fret if you don’t have one of these skillets (although you should probably think about investing in one since it’s one of the best cooking vessels out there), just use an 8x8inch baking dish. It will totally do the trick and well taste just as spectacular!

Well of course we had to go with a fruit-inspired beer for this pairing. I have said this before and I’m sure I will say it again. I do not love wheat beers, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. The most common fruit-infused beers just happen to be wheat beers, and this is really the only way I like a wheat beer. Unless of course it is mixed with some other awesome beer … like an IPA/Wheat hybrid perhaps? We thought we’d let you choose what beer you would like to pair with this crumble. Both of these brews are raspberry wheats. Twisted Pine Brewing’s Raspberry Wheat is absolutely spectacular. To me, it literally tastes like a fresh raspberry and it’s a great summer drinking beer. This beer is crisp, gold and glorious and is the absolute perfect pairing for our berry crumble. If you’ve never given it a whirl, please do. You will not be disappointed, and if you are lucky enough to be at the brewery on the right day you may just get to try their Razzy Express (which just happens to be right around Valentine’s Day). This beer is a mix of their espresso stout and raspberry. Can you say…uh yum! Twisted Pine is definitely one of our favorite spots in Boulder. They never disappoint. Another great option for this beer pairing is Eddyline Brewing’s Mountain Fairy Raspberry Wheat. Both brews will certainly get the job done and both are absolutely delicious!

My little fluffy helper today =)

We’re making a panzanella salad tonight and I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time! Hopefully it is more successul than our bloody mary soup defeat!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and spray a cast-iron skillet or 8x8 inch baking pan with a non-stick spray. Set aside.

Prepare your filling. In a large mixing bowl, combine the berries, 1 cup granulated sugar, all-purpose flour and liqueur. Pour the mixture into your prepared baking vessel and set aside.

Now prepare your topping. Combine the bread flour, the remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, brown sugar, chopped walnuts, chopped pecans, butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and sea salt. Mix with a heavy wooden spoon until all is combined and the dough is "crumbly." Sprinkle the dough over the berry mixture and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the topping is golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream and enjoy!